Cross It F: Parkour Basics

ross it
CrossFit Journal Article Reprint. First Published in CrossFit Journal Issue 51 - November 2006
C F
the
J O U R N A L A RT I C L E S
Parkour Basics
A Compendium
Jesse Woody
Mechanics, consistency, and intensity are the three pieces of

a complete foundation for a safe learning progression in any Parkour articles in the CrossFit Journal
new endeavor. Many of the elements inherent in the gradual
and progressive creation of elite general physical preparedness Introduction to Parkour #43 - March 2006
apply equally to the pursuit of more specific skills and goals, Environmental Awareness & the Roll #44 - April 2006
including parkour, the ability to navigate your environment
Two-Handed, Speed, & Lazy Vaults #45 - May 2006
functionally, confidently, and safely in a variety of situations.
This month, I have collected into a single reference document Monkey, Dash, & Reverse Vaults #46 - June 2006
the fundamental parkour moves I discussed in greater detail Jumping #47 - July 2006
throughout the past eight issues. I intend this to serve as a Tic-Tac & Wall Run #48 - August 2006
kind of “getting started” reference manual for parkour, Turn Vault & Cat Leap #49 - September 2006
outlining a progression for learning proper technique that
Underbar & Gate Vault #50 - October 2006
enhances both the safety and the efficacy of the movements
when applied to the varied challenges you may face.
Jesse Woody, age 26, father of two, has about eight years experience
in fitness and nutrition (though a lot of that was time wasted on
bodybuilding). He works in various capacities for the Woodberry Forest
School in Virginia, including working with the outdoor education
department and, currently, transitioning to head strength and conditioning
coach. He’s been practicing parkour for three+ years (and CrossFit for
a little over one), though he’s acted like a monkey his entire life. He is
an administrator and frequent content contributor for the American
Parkour website.
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Parkour Basics: A Compendium (continued)
The basic straight landing and roll
The first step in learning both landing and rolling techniques is • Sweep your lead hand through toward your trailing foot
to perfect the air squat, as described in the December 2002 to set up your round position and guide your scapula
issue of the CrossFit Journal. Once you achieve the basics of perfect to the ground.
squat form, you will be able to transfer them to the proper • Tuck tightly throughout the movement and allow your
technique for the landing and roll: momentum to carry you to your feet.
• Back arched and head up.

• Weight balanced on both feet. Once these basics can be repeated perfectly from standing,
• Knees pushed out to the sides throughout the entire the next step is a roll with momentum:
movement. • Land in the same stance from a slight hop: Feet shoulder-width
• Find the ground by extending your legs. apart, one foot forward, leaning forward, weight on the toes.
• Control the descent by preparing for the drive into a • Allow your momentum to carry your torso forward as
sprint. your knees bend.
• Shoot for 15 to 20 comfortable reps at a given height, • When your body reaches near 45 degrees, boost yourself
starting very low and progressing slowly to ensure forward with a hop into a diving roll (tuck your head,
flawless technique. sweeping your lead arm through, and tuck tightly).
• Try 10 to 15 jumps to roll on both sides per training
Proper mechanics in rolling requires merely that you grasp three session, progressing in height gradually over time.
simple aspects of the movement:
• Stance is shoulder width, in a slight lunge, head tucked

into armpit and looking toward trailing leg.
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Jumping technique
The basics of jumping technique and the Straight jump

concept behind the precision jump apply
to nearly every jumping movement in
parkour.
• Stand with your feet directly

below your hips in the jumping
position and bend at the hips and
knees while swinging your arms
back. Explode through the hips,
knees and ankles as you swing
your arms toward your path of
travel.
• Tuck your knees toward your Precision jump
chest mid-jump to maximize the
efficiency of travel while you’re
in the air.
• For both the straight landing and
the precision landing, you will
extend from this tucked position
toward the point of landing. In
the precision jump, you will be
jump at about a 45-degree angle
and extend your legs in front of
your torso to allow your
momentum to carry you to your
feet in balance as you absorb the
impact.
• Making precision trainers will
help the practice of this technique
immensely. Shoot for anywhere
from 20 to 50 consecutive jumps,
landed in perfect balance.
Precision trainers
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Vaulting technique
Remember that every vaulting technique relies on the basic body to make your way over an obstacle as efficiently as
movement pattern of using your approach momentum and possible.
a perfectly mixed effort between your upper and lower
Two-handed vault
• Start from standing, bending at the knees and hips
to jump while also pushing the object down and
back with your arms. Balance the jump and press
so as to maximize the effectiveness of the movement.
• Pay close attention to the landing, making it as
smooth and silent as possible.
• Train in both directions, as early exposure to multiple
angles will help immensely in the long run
• Shoot for fast, repetitive vaults from one side of
a rail to the other and back, without pause and
with perfect technique, for 10 to 15 reps as regular
training.
Lazy vault
The lazy vault is similar to the speed vault in that it’s
essentially a one-handed technique, but it requires less
momentum to move over obstacles.
• Approach from an angle with your lead hand nearest

the wall. Jump as you press toward your hips with
this hand; then pass the railing to your trailing hand
and finish the descent.
• Train this movement in both directions and on a
variety of obstacles.
• Once you can perform the basic movement, train
your ability to change and choose the direction of
retreat in midair by adjusting the rotation of your
torso and the pressure you apply to the wall or
railing with your trailing hand.
• Add lazy vaults to a rail circuit (move directly from
a left-handed lazy vault to a two-handed vault, back
to a right-handed lazy vault, to another two-handed
vault), attempting to complete as many passes as
possible in a set time. This works great with Tabata
timing.
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Speed vault
The speed vault takes the basic one-handed vault and
adds extra approach speed. Commitment to a powerful
approach is what sets this vault apart from the more
basic techniques.
• Try to minimize the impact on your hand by

approaching quickly and powerfully and attempting
to jump up and over the object in question, using
the boost from your hand and arm as only the
last bit of propulsion needed to clear the obstacle.
• As with the two-handed vault, practice on both
sides from the beginning.
• Attempt to perfect fast and smooth speed vaults
from a variety of angles on a variety of obstacles.
Once you can perform 8 to 10 fast speed vaults
in a row on both sides on a variety of terrain,
you have reached a functional level of proficiency
Monkey vault
For the monkey vault, a bit more commitment is required. • When you can land a monkey vault on a variety of
To make this work, you have to make a powerful dive toward obstacles with a slight run-up, progress to increasing
the end of the object that puts your hips higher than your your approach speed and the speed of your retreat.
hands. You can also increase the depth of the objects that
you’re vaulting.
• Get your hips high by diving in an arc and exploding • A monkey vault to roll, repeated 10 to 15 times
with a powerful push when your hands contact the with perfect technique, is a great drill to improve
obstacle. two techniques simultaneously.
• Your hands should be free of the object before your
feet pass.
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Turn vault
The turn vault applies the concepts of the basic two-handed • Once you can smoothly perform the vault to both
vault to a movement useful for to breaking momentum and sides on level ground, move to an object that has a
reducing the impact of the landing from greater heights. slight drop and requires a more precise placement
of the feet.
The turn vault applies the concepts of the basic two-handed • Shoot for 15 to 20 turn vaults to each side without
vault to a movement useful for to breaking momentum and a break in proper technique. Once you can
reducing the impact of the landing from greater heights. accomplish this at a slow pace you can begin to
quickly cycle turn vaults from one side to the other
• Start by training on a wall or railing with level ground for an excellent conditioning movement.
on both sides. This allows you to master the
movement pattern before adding height to the
equation.
Gate vault
For the gate vault, use a powerful hip extension to propel can choose an
your legs up an over an object after you have folded at the appropriate
waist to position your torso on the opposite side. This is a obstacle and
very useful technique for taller objects that aren’t stable attempt to pass
enough for a wall run (such as chain-link fences). over the object as
many times as
• The starting object for this movement is the same possible in five
as with the turn vault: a wall or railing with level minutes using only
ground on both sides. the gate vault. As
• Once you grasp the technique from level ground, your technique
move to an object with a slight drop. From this point improves, your
you can then find taller objects that will require a total will improve
jump to put your hips at the proper height. also.
• Once you’re comfortable with the technique, you
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Reverse vault
The most useful application of the reverse vault is for • Once you grasp this technique, see how many passes
maintaining momentum over multiple objects where the you can make over the two railings in five minutes,
rotation aids in transitioning smoothly from one to the next. or apply any interval timing to repetitive efforts
scored by total reps. Increasing your total while
• The rotation can be learned relatively easily on an assuring proper mechanics is a sure sign that you’re
object slightly lower than waist height. Work the getting more efficient at the technique .
requisite jump and pressing motion with the hands
and remember that the rotation follows the head
and is transferred through the core to the hips to
bring your feet over.
• Expand your capabilities with the movement to
some more-varied obstacles, starting at first from
standing and working up to approaching with speed.
• Once you have a solid grasp of the technique in
both directions, you can progress transitioning into
a reverse vault when you approach one obstacle
immediately after another. For example, pick two
railings around waist height that are between 3 and
5 feet apart. Vault the first railing and then attempt
to land in a position that allows you to spring directly
into the reverse vault. To do this you will land with
one foot slightly forward and your hands ready to
make contact with the second surface. Immediately
spring into your rotation over the railing in one
smooth motion.
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Climbing and swinging technique

For climbing-based techniques in parkour, the goal is to over to the running- and climbing-based techniques because
coordinate your upper and lower body to propel yourself they all require you to effectively transfer momentum from
upward as quickly and smoothly as possible.This skill carries the run into vertical travel.
Tic-tac
The wall run, tic-tac and pop or tap vault take some of
the basics learned in vaulting and add a greater full-body
component to allow travel over taller or deeper obstacles.
• To learn the tic-tac, practice the requisite cadence

and coordination between the run and the step
off of an object by incorporating a knee-high or
lower wall into the middle of a run and stepping
on top of the wall to propel yourself up and out
in the direction of your travel. Train this from
both directions.
• If the opportunity presents itself, it works great
to transition from the horizontal surface of a
small retaining wall to an angled surface such as
a slanted wall or tree trunk. Retain the cadence
you learned in the first drill, only this time your
boosting step will take place on a more vertical
surface. Gradually increase the angle if at all • To train the tic-tac in its purest form, it works well to
possible until you are able to perform the find a bench, trash can or other medium-sized object
movement on a purely vertical surface. to place in your path of travel to attempt to propel
yourself over after the tic-tac. Play with the distance
from the wall or tree that you are boosting from to find
your limit, then drill the movement from this point for
20 to 30 times on each side, shooting for perfect tic-
tac and landing technique for each rep.
Wall run and pop vault

Once you have mastered the technique in the tic-tac, you • For both of these techniques, the best training
will have gained an essential awareness about applying the progression seems to be based on finding a wall that
momentum from your horizontal travel to vertical movement. you can comfortably and consistently overcome,
At this point you can use a similar technique for the wall and then repeating the move 15 to 20 times, shooting
run and pop vault. for maximum speed and commitment on each
attempt. Once you have mastered this height (with
• The technique for the wall run and pop vault is the both feet) you can move up to higher walls and
same as for the tic-tac, only it’s applied to purely continue drilling the technique in the same manner.
vertical movement aided by the upper body. Find a • Another great way to expand your skill in this
wall around your height to start with. Run powerfully movement is to go head to head with another
and confidently at the wall and play with the proper practitioner to see who can make it to the top of
distance to maximize the height of your step off of the wall the quickest. The motivation for 100%
the wall. Once you reach the apex of this step, apply maximum effort that is gained through competition
a coordinated pull toward your chest with your can’t be matched by any other means.
hands and a rearward kip with your free leg to help
you pull yourself to the top of the wall and transition
to a support on top. ...continued next page.
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Wall run and pop vault ...continued
Cat leap
The cat leap is similar to both the wall run in its finishing you jump will be at the same level as, if not slightly
top-out and the turn-vault in its body position upon landing. higher than, where your hands will contact the
This is a movement that takes a good bit of commitment landing surface. As the vertical distance between the
to work up to, but the gains in strength, coordination, and takeoff and landing points—and therefore the impact
confidence that are gained are worth the effort. upon landing—increases, the technique becomes
more difficult. A good progression would be: 1)
• A body-height wall at ground level is perfect to begin higher-level landing, 2) higher-level landing with a
your training on. Perform a broad jump, tucking your longer jump, 3) level of landing decreased by half-
legs up and then extending them toward the wall height (around knee-level from takeoff), 4) same-
to absorb the force of landing.Your hands will contact level landing, same-level landing with a longer jump.
slightly after your feet, with elbows bent to absorb Drill each successive level 10 to 20 times in a session,
the force of impact. From here the technique striving for perfectly efficient technique with minimal
resembles the top-out of the wall run, where you extraneous impact.
give a rearward kip with your free leg while • The technique can be broken in half, as you can drill
performing a movement similar to a muscle-up to the jump and landing as one piece, then drill the
put yourself in a support position on top of the wall. top-out repetitively for strength gains. This allows
• Drill this ground-level technique to perfection, and the pull to press movement of the top-out to be
then you can begin to progress toward downward worked
cat leaps. In this technique, the surface from which
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Underbar
There are innumerable places to train this movement and • Once you become proficient at maximizing the
its derivatives, from the most-common parallel railings to power of the swing in this manner, you can add the
tree branches or car windows. Once you master this “underduct” trick mentioned last month. Pull a length
movement, you will never be at a loss for possibilities. of duct tape between two vertical supports and
attempt to swing through this space.This allows you
• Start your progression by playing with the basic to work on progressively smaller underbars without
swing on a pull-up bar or monkey bar. Shoot for the risk of injury.
maximizing the distance you are able to gain post- • During a typical training session, it would work well
swing by extending your hips and elbows as you to strive for 20 perfect underbars at a given width
reach the apex of the swing.You should be reaching before moving on.
maximum hip-extension at the peak of the movement, • Once you have gained confidence and awareness of
and coordinating the motion of your arms to allow your potential for movement through different
maximum power to be applied before extending spaces, you can begin to apply this to any random
your elbows to proceed in a powerful arc at this obstacle in your environment. Once you find a good
point. object to use for training the underbar, be sure to
• From this point, attempt to approach the obstacle check it from all sides for other potential variations
with a good run-up, then tuck tight and get your of the movement to apply and expand your abilities.
feet in front of your torso in the jump. Grab the
railing and, just at the apex of your swing, extend
your hips and arms.
So there we go, a quick recap of the common movements and

what I hope is a manageable progression for new and old
athletes alike. If you progressively increase your skills while
paying proper attention to recovery, you can sustain your
parkour training indefinitely and reap rewards in terms of
ability and agility that will serve you well in all physical aspects
of life for a long time to come.
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ross it

Mechanics, consistency, and intensity are the three pieces of

The basic straight landing and roll

• Back arched and head up.

• Stance is shoulder width, in a slight lunge, head tucked

The basics of jumping technique and the Straight jump

• Stand with your feet directly

• Approach from an angle with your lead hand nearest

• Try to minimize the impact on your hand by

Climbing and swinging technique

• To learn the tic-tac, practice the requisite cadence

Wall run and pop vault

Wall run and pop vault ...continued

So there we go, a quick recap of the common movements and

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